The Amulet
by jendayi
Summary: As the end of the world is dawning, the dark side is starting to take over. It's up to seven teenaged girls to save what's left of the already torn world.
1. Prolouge

The rain beat down on the small island of Martha's Vineyard. Somewhere in a dark allie, a woman lay in pain. She was having her first child and, since she was so poor, could not afford to go to a docter. Her cries for help were impossible to hear over the pounding of the rain and the sound of the traffic whirling by. Even if someone did happen to hear her, they were in too much of a hurry to get home to come and help her.  
She had slid up next to a building to try to get out of the rain. Even so, the rain seemed to sweep up under the little covering and fall onto her. Her very thin clothing was clinging to her and was soaked with rain, sweat, and blood. She gave a final push and was done. After over an hour of struggling, it was finally over. She bent over and picked up her newborn baby girl. She was gasping for breath and was shaking badly from the loss of blood.  
She looked into her little girl's vivid green eyes and pushed a strand of dark brown hair off her baby's forehead. Her hair was thick and already visible.  
Suddenly, the mother heard a noise and looked up. There stood a beautiful woman with blonde, almost white, hair that was well down her back. Her eyes were the lightest blue color and there seemed to be a mystical glowing around her. The mother tried to jump up and run, but instead of jumping, she just fell into the side of a trashcan making it fall over with a loud noise. She was so weak she could barely even hold her little girl in her arms. The mysterious woman moved closer.  
"Do not be afraid," her voice sounded like a thousand bells singing out a beautful song, "I have not come to harm you or her." She nodded toward the baby. "I have come to bring her this." She extended her hand. Dangling on it was a beautiful silver amulet on a jewled chain. Incrested upon it was a sparkling shpae of a tear drop with words she did not understand around the edge.  
She hesitated, then took it and clasped it around her newborn's neck. As she did, the amulet began to glow. Her eyes widened in awe as she took the amulet and looked at it. She turned it over in her hands and saw the name "Meluta" inscribed on the back. She looked up at the beautiful lady who shook her head. The mother mouthed the words "thank you" and kissed her baby on her forehead and took her last breath.  
Several moments later, a woman ran into the allie breathless. She stopped short and looked from the dead woman and her baby to the beautiful woman standing there. The mysterious woman was wearing a white dress that was flowing gracefully in the breeze as was her hair. Glistening droplets of water were on her hair, looking like shimmering jewels placed here and there. She didn't look wet at all, and still the rain was pouring down. The woman stood there for a moment, with an angel-like appearence and then she bent over and picked up the baby from the red-headed, wavy-haired mother. She didn't walk, but sort of floated over to where the young woman was standing.  
"I heard a noise. Is everything alright?" she asked, glancing at the dead mother. The white figure nodded and held out the baby to her.  
"Please take care of her." she said. The young lady looked into the vivid green eyes of the baby and, looking back up, replied,  
"But I-" she stopped and looked around. No one else was in the allie but her, the baby, and the dead woman. The "angel" was gone. She looked back down at the little girl and slowly turned around. She took off her coat and wrapped the baby in it and ran out of the allie, trying to get home as fast as she could. That night, the moon and stars seemed especially birght and the amulet around the newborn's neck was growing brighter and brighter.


	2. Chapter 1 A Hidden Secret

As Meluta walked down the ancient, wooden stairs, a sweet aroma filled the air. She guided her hand across the crafted carvings along the rail. She laughed as she saw the engraved cupid hit two people with his love arrow. The detail was amazing- she could almost see him springing to life and flying around the house. 

She stepped off the last step, taking her hand from the railing and putting it up to touch her necklace. She held it against her palm and studied it yet again. In the middle of the amulet was a rain drop with a different language inscribed around the edge of the circular necklace. She never really understood what it meant, but for some reason, she never wanted to take the amulet off for any reason. She couldn't remember a time that she didn't have it on.

  
She skipped into the kitchen, the aroma smelling stronger and stronger. She went over to the oven and saw a turkey roasting in it. The oven timer went off.

  
"Mel, can you get that?" she heard a voice call from somewhere in the living room. She opened up one of the drawers under the countertop and pulled out a dishrag. She carefully opened the oven, heated air blowing into her face. She smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the break from the ever-cold snow. She opened her eyes and reached into the oven with the dishrag covering her bare skin, so as not to get burned. She gently sat the turkey on the table in the middle of the kitchen. The table was decorated for Christmas and had many other food items on it. She lit the candle sitting on it and walked into the living room.

  
"Hey, mom, dinner's ready." Mel laughed. Her mom stood by the Christmas tree, tangled in the tree lights. "You need some help?" Mel asked.

  
"Yes, please." Her mom replied. Mel took off her coat and threw it over the lamp. She unwound her mom from the mess and put the lights in a pile by the tree. They walked into the kitchen and sat down. Mel spooned some mashed potatoes onto her plate followed by some peas, a roll, and some turkey. Before they started to eat, they said a prayer to the Spirits. Meluta's mom had taught Mel to believe in spirits as she had grown. As they sat in silence eating, a question crossed her mind… What made her mom believe in spirits? She looked at her mom-studying her. Her long, straight black hair was pulled up in a bun. Her brown eyes skimmed the kitchen. She saw Mel looking at her and stopped eating.

  
"Lydia," Mel said.

  
"Yes, sweetie?" her mom answered.

  
"Why do you believe in spirits?" Lydia put down her fork and shook her head, her eyes widening.

  
"What's wrong?" Mel questioned.

  
"It's just, I've been meaning to tell you for so long…" she said, her voice trailing off.

  
"Tell me what?" Meluta asked timidly.

  
"Help me clear off these dishes and I'll tell you." Mel hurriedly helped her mom clear the table and followed her into the living room. They sat on the fluffy, dark violet couch and her mom pulled out a scrapbook. She flipped through it and Meluta saw different pictures- one of her as a child sitting out by the pool, one of her and Adeliene, her younger sister, sitting by the ocean licking ice cream, one of her in the bathtub, and the most recent one of her at her sixteenth birthday party just last October 23. She wondered why her mom had shown her this. Lydia began to speak, but stopped short. She sniffed the air.  


"Is something burning?" she said. Suddenly, the coat that Meluta had thrown on the lamp burst into flame! They jumped back in surprise. Her mom got up and ran to the kitchen to get a glass of water while Meluta tried to fan it out with a pillow. The smoke rose and set the fire alarm off just as her mom came in the room.

  
"Where's Adeliene?" yelled Meluta as Lydia tossed the water on it, halfway putting it out.

  
"Oh no!" Lydia gasped. "She's still over at her friend's! I've got to go get her! Can you handle this?" Mel nodded her head and her mom put the cup down on the table and hurried off. Mel needed to go get more water but she couldn't leave the fire unattended! Oh, how she wished that there were more water in the cup. She stared at it and, to her amazement, it filled back up with water! Hey eyes widened as she took the glass and doused the last of the fire. After picking up what was left of her jacket and throwing it away, she trudged up the stairs and into her room, collapsing on the bed. Trying to put out that fire had made her tired and she soon fell asleep. Little did she know that that would be one of the last nights she would ever sleep well.  


* * *  
She awoke the next morning, the sun pouring from the slits in her blinds onto her bed. She could hear the birds chirping on the cherry tree just outside her window. The tree was bare, but the birds found it a perfect nesting place. It was always magnificent to see all the newborn birds opening their eyes for the first time. This morning, she heard another noise—someone was crying in the other room! She jumped up and thrust open her door; she sprinted into the room to find her little sister laying in the middle of the floor, bawling her eyes out. Mel ran over to her and lifter her head to put in her lap. Her black hair was a mess and her deep blue eyes were filled to the brim with tears.

  
"Oh, honey, don't cry!" Meluta comforted. "What's wrong?" asked Mel. Adeliene sniffed.

  
"My-m-m-my hamster d-d-died!" Again, she burst into tears. Meluta, relieved that that was only it, stroked her head and wiped away her tears. After a few more minutes, she got Adeliene up off the floor and they walked down to the breakfast table.

  
As they ate their eggs and bacon, Meluta remembered that her mom had never told her why she believed in Spirits.

  
"Mom, last night you never answered my question." Her mom hesitated, then she answered.   
"Mel, this may come as a shock, but I'm.." she sighed. "I'm really not your mom. Your real mom died. You see, you're a spirit. The Spirit of the Water.."


	3. Chapter 2 More Than A Dream

Meluta was still for a moment, but then she spoke. "How- how would you know?" "At your birth, an agel-like spirit came to you. She gave you that amulet you always wear." she nodded at it and Mel grasped it. It felt especially warm on this cold morning. "You see those words engraved around the edge?" Mel nodded and traced her finger over the sentence. She mouthed the words 'Oh l'Espirit de l'Eau, m'aider par cette fois avec votre main dirigent.' Her mother spoke. "I translated it when you turned seven it means, 'Oh Spirit of the water, help me through this time with your guiding hand. It's French." Mel, stunned by what had just been said to her, timidly asked a question. "But, if you're not my real mother... then how did you come to find me?" Lydia chuckled. "Funny story, really. You see, I was out looking for my cat. He had run away that day when I'd gone to work. I heard a trash can fall over in an alley and I ran into the narrow street. hoping to find him; instead, I found you..." Meluta excused herself from the table. She ran up the stairs and into her room. She opened one of her drawers in her desk and frantically went through it. She snatched out "Stardust~*", her poem notebook and grabbed her favorite pen. She turned to a new page as tears blurred her vision. She wiped them away and started writing a new poem. Ever since she had gone to writing camp, she had become a very talented poet. She scribbled down her feelings as best she could, then, in a few days time, put them in an organized order. She read the finished poem. "Can This Horrid Thing Be True? My nights are filled with endless sleep, every sound awakes me. Tossing and turning with no end- thinking of how it could be. Can this horrid thing be true? For sixteen years, I've been living a lie. All this time I didn't know. Now this secret has been told- now this hidden secret shows. Can this horrid thing be true? I see how fake my life was, too perfect to be true. I realize it would never be, now what am i to do? Can this horrid thing be true? Should i leave it all and run away? Or face it standing strong? How could such a perfect life turn out to be so wrong? Can this horrid thing be true? I lay in bed at night wondering "Why me?" So many silent tears are shed.. When will I be free? Can this horrid thing be true? I'm not sure if all these things I used to know are real. Was this all a bargain? Was this all a deal? Can this horrid thing be true? My life is just a play, everyone wearing a mask. So I'm praying to you, O precious Spirit, And I'm just left here to ask... Can this horrid thing be true? ~Meluta* (12/22/03)" She looked at the clock which read 1:24 AM. Exhausted, she flopped back onto her pillow and drifted into a long, uneasy sleep- tears falling down her cheeks and dreanching her pillow. * * * When she woke the next morning, her thoughts raced to the events of the previous night. She groaned and rolled over, not wanting to remember. 'Maybe it was just a dream.' She thought. 'No, it couldn't be... How would I remember it so well?' She sighed adn sat up in her bed. Her head wa spounding and she groaned again, falling bakc onto her pillow. She wanted to go back to sleep, but her eyes were wide open. 'Whats the use?' She asked herself and she sat up again and turned to put her feet on the floor. She stood up, her headache getting worse as she did so. She slipped on her bunny slippers and walked across the room to her bathroom. She splashed some water on her face and dried it on a nearby towel. She turned on the shower as hot as it could go- just how she liked it. After a few minutes, she took off her slippers and slipped off her clothes. She slowly stepped into the shower, letting the hot water run over her weary body. She stood there for a while, enjoying the tingling sensation going trhoughout her body. For some reason, she loved water and could always find peace and calmness in it. She washed her hair and body and got out to put her robe on. She stood in front of the mirror, brushing her wavy, brown hair. Her vivid green eyes stared back at her from the mirror. She picked up her toothbrush and squirted on some toothpaste. As she was brushing her teeth, she looked in the mirror again. At first glance, everything was fine. But on the second look, she saw something odd- the amulet around her neck had a faint glow to it. On closer inspection, she realized the raindrop was glowing brighter and brighter. Suddenly, it stopped and went back to the regular silver color it had been. Puzzled, she tucked it underneath her robe and walked into her room to change into her regular clothes. Today, school was starting back up again and this time, Meluta would be going with a new secret. 


End file.
